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Whoever invented the reservoir must have done it with him alone in mind. It was without flaw, a perfect lake set in the most unexpected of locations.*

There is only one place in New York where you can take in beautiful skyline views at ground level, and that’s in Central Park, at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir.

At the Reservoir on its West side, looking at Manhattan’s Midtown

You can access the Reservoir from the park’s entrances at 86th or 96th streets, from either the Central Park West or Fifth Avenue sides, all within easy reach of the subway. Strolling along the park’s meandering walkways, it doesn’t take long to reach the expansive body of water, circled by a running track and a black, four-foot-high, steel fence. This is Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir.

A West Side entrance

Bridge close by Central Park West’s 96th Street Entrance

Looking towards the southern point of midtown, and the Chrysler is there… somewhere…

From the South, looking West at The Eldorado Apartments

You can see midtown and upper Manhattan from the western, southern and eastern edges of the reservoir. Prominent buildings look miniature from across the lake (the Guggenheim – so tiny!) and on a good day, you can see the sun sets behind a silhouetted skyline. I don’t venture to Central Park often enough, but when I do, seeing these New York City views makes it really worthwhile.

Gorgeous (model of a) Guggenheim on the East side

Silhouetted Skyline

Twilight, ducks and The Guggenheim (far right)

Grasses and sunset

I’ve been living in New York, on and off, for about six years and only recently learned that in 1994, the reservoir was dedicated to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis; it was “renamed for the beloved first lady who lived nearby and often enjoyed a run along the 1 1/2-mile jogging track that circles the water.”[2] Initially, this massive pool of water was named the Central Park Reservoir, built in 1862.

Spanning 106 acres and covering approximately an eighth of the Park, the Reservoir was built to receive water from the Croton Aqueduct and distribute it around Manhattan.

The reservoir is 40 feet deep and holds a billion gallons of water. It was built in the 1860s as a temporary water supply for New York City, while the Croton Water system was shut down for repairs two weeks each year. At the time, it was unthinkable that a billion gallons of water would last less than two weeks. Today, some speculate that the City would go through that supply in just four hours. The reservoir was decommissioned in 1993, deemed obsolete because of the Third Water Tunnel.[3]

The Reservoir still distributes water to other Central Park locations, such as the Pool, the Loch, and the Harlem Meer, and also serves as a meditative spot.

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today cut the ribbon to open the renovated 1.58-mile running track around Central Park‘s Reservoir. The renovations, made possible by a $500,000 gift from the Goldie-Anna Charitable Trust, replaced the track’s gravel and timber lining, and completely overhauled its drainage system. The renovations, the first since the Track initially opened in 1982, will be maintained with a $2 million grant from the Uris Brothers Foundation.[4]

In April 2010, the jogging track was dedicated to a man named Alberto Arroyo. Name Mayor of Central Park by the path’s regular patrons, Arroyo claimed to be the first person to jog around the reservoir, in 1937.

Alberto Arroyo was there every day, and when he retired he was often there the entire day, waving and saying hello to everyone. When he couldn’t run, he walked. Then he used a cane, then a walker, and finally, after a stroke, a wheelchair. Arroyo died last month <March 2010> at 94.[5]

This pathway is also extremely popular with walkers, tourists, photographers, and the neighbourhood’s residents, where the lake makes up a large part of their glorious backyard. Signage requests that no strollers, bikes or dogs be taken on the track. Rightly so as the pathway is way to narrow to cater to everyone (and their messes)!

Photographers and walkers

There is also the track’s protocol of going with the flow; if going against traffic (i.e., clockwise) you may be faced with dozens of shocked faces and disgruntled looks. This park etiquette however, seems to work well. One just needs to be street smart if constantly stopping and starting as the path attracts some pretty swift runners. Apparently, in spring, cherry blossoms bloom along the pathway too. Can you imagine how beautiful that would look?

An eastern perspective, and ducks

The Reservoir is also a lovely pit-stop during a weekend of museum hopping, after visits to The Met and/or The Guggenheim on the East Side, or the American Museum of Natural History, located at 81st Street and Central Park West .

In any kind of weather, the Reservoir’s space seduces. It’s such a calm place for the contemplative soul; an oasis for the stressed-out New Yorker; a perfect viewing spot for the traveler; and, a romantic setting for a date. By day, Manhattan is characterised by its skyscraper skyline; by night, the beautiful lampposts light up the area and transport you to Paris.

Recently I came across a quote by Paulo Coehlo that r motivated me to curate part six of the Bolt of Inspiration Series.

I’d also like to dedicate this post to fellow bloggers, My thoughts, pics and personal opinions and thoughts and rainstorms. Both nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award – thank you! These two wonderful blogs make me smile, laugh and inspire with their words and insights. As I recently posted on receiving The Versatile Blogger Award from Victor Ho, I thought I’d spread the love by sharing a selection of inspiring quotes and images – many of the photographs taken by very talented and well traveled photographers in the blogosphere. I hope you check out all of these blog links!

Today I ventured to Central Park for a couple of reasons. One, I was scared that I’d miss the chance to stroll the park’s beautiful walkways before winter, slow to arrive this year. And, I wanted to take some photos autumnal foliage. Who knows if I’ll have the opportunity to experience Central Park during a lengthy fall again?

“There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be…” John Lennon

I set out without a route in mind, which has become my preferred way of exploring with the Nikon camera. Two cases in point: While photographing the park’s beautiful vistas, I came across monuments I’d never seen before. And, I stumbled across a crowd paying tribute to John Lennon, one of the most loved songwriters and singers of our time.

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” John Lennon

Central’s Park Lake and Boathouse (background)

Like many parks located in busy cities – Hyde Park in London, Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris – Central Park is a respite from the bustle. Located in the middle of a vertical urban grid, the park brings about a sense of peace as soon as you enter its perimeter. Although thousands of residents and tourists come here on any given day – to relax, to visit the Zoo, to skate Wollman Rink – there are parts of the park where you feel as if you’re the only one there.

“Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.” John Lennon

Spread across 843 acres (3.41 km2), Central Park runs the length of 59th to 110th Streets and extends from Fifth Avenue to Central Park West. The Park has been described as “America’s first and foremost major urban public space”[1]. Its design was based on plans drawn up by landscape designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calbert Vaux in 1858 (they are also the minds behind Brooklyn’s Prospect Park).

“Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.” John Lennon

Surface reflections

Central Park’s labyrinth of pathways, meadows, bridges, and undulating hills takes a few hours to enjoy. I found myself stopping and starting – to pause at a monument, to ponder a plaque dedication, to watch reflections dance on a pond.

“The more I see, the less I know for sure.” John Lennon

Plaque dedication

Benches

My major discovery was Literary Walk, a pathway lined with huge monuments of playwright Shakespeare, Scottish poet Robert Burns… and for some reason, Christopher Columbus. From here, the route continues to the adjoining Mall, a promenade lined with towering elm trees leading up to a staircase that descends toward the beautiful Bethesda Fountain. It no wonder that this dramatic setting is the most photographed part of the park.

“Living is easy with eyes closed.” John Lennon

Shakespeare in the Park

The Mall

The Park hasn’t always enjoyed such fanfare. In the 1970s, it experienced severe decline as “years of poor management and inadequate maintenance had turned a masterpiece of landscape architecture into a virtual dustbowl by day and a danger zone by night.”[2] Once crime ridden and a hotbed of litter and graffiti, Central Park was hardly a respite from the city despite its landmark status (1963). In 1980, a “group of dedicated civic and philanthropic leaders”[3] rallied together to found The Central Park Conservancy. Together with the City of New York they work towards a common goal:

“to restore, manage and enhance Central Park, in partnership with the public, for the enjoyment of present and future generations”[4].

It was at the Bow Bridge, one of the Park’s five original cast-iron bridges, where I photographed more beautiful landscapes. Carefully tended to by Conservancy crews, the area is filled with trees, shrubs, and flowers. From here, you can see the green-roofed Boathouse to the east; glittery weeping willows to the south; and bare sycamore trees backed by Central Park West to the north west. I spotted ducks on the grand lake, whose ripples reflected the yellow and orange leaves of the trees.

“Love is like a flower-you’ve got to let it grow.” John Lennon

The Boathouse

The Bow Bridge

After what seemed like five minutes, but more realistically two hours, the sun started to set, and I made my way towards the 72nd Street exit, the location of Strawberry Fields and its Imagine memorial, dedicated to the late John Lennon by Yoko Ono. Which is when I walked into a crowd singing Beatles’ songs in unison. I learned it was the 31st anniversary of John Lennon’s death, and as has been customary every year since 1980, fans gathered around the mosaic — now covered in flowers, candles, momentos and messages — singing ‘Imagine’ and ‘Come Together’ to the strum of a guitar. It was a touching dedication to an icon, “known for his social activism and anti-war rhetoric. He was a praised figure, full of wit and wisdom”[5], and I was glad to have played a part in the celebratory gathering. (I didn’t know the words, so didn’t sing along, but I enjoyed the scene and took some photos.)

“Now that John’s a spirit, he has a different effect on people than when he was alive.” Yoko Ono[6]

A gathering of fans

‘Imagine’ mosaic

I came away from Central Park with a completely new appreciation for it. I can’t wait to go back in spring, to explore its labyrinth again, to experience its changing foliage.

Manhattan works 24/7, without a break. It’s where things happen; it’s the world’s muse. Its avenues are well-trodden, meaning the roads are in continual need of repair. It is where the hot dog and pretzel stands are as ubiquitous as the yellow cabs. But, sometimes all of this hubbub gets too much to deal, and that’s when I head to Manhattan’s High Line.

The High Line

The Standard Hotel

Elevated city view

I first read about the High Line in a travel magazine a few years ago and remember thinking how great it was make something new from something old. Here, 30-foot high abandoned railway tracks have been converted into usable public green space, which is named the High Line. The railway tracks faced demolition in 1999, and this gave rise to a community group – Friends of the High Line – who came to the rescue with the High Line proposition. The project was approved by the City of New York.

The Standard Hotel

Autumnal colours against the Hudson

Birch trees and grass

The park opened in two phases. The first phase (2009) spanned the area between the Meatpacking District, by Gansevoort Street, and up to 20th Street. Phase two opened this year, in 2011, and extends the walkway to 30th Street. The final phase, between 30th and 34th streets, called High Line at the West Side Rail Yards, is being construction.

Iin October 2011, the Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation, founded by the fashion designer, Diane von Furstenberg, and her husband, Barry Diller, made a $20 million commitment to the High Line. This is the largest single private contribution to a public park in New York City’s history and will be put towards this final stretch of the project.

Factories and warehouses hug the High Line

Undercover windows

Fragments of the past

Just when you thought New York was packed to the rafters, up goes the Standard Hotel and a new few condominiums by the High Line. With Hudson River views to one side, and city views from elsewhere, it’s a great spot to buy some real estate, which also comes with a 1.45-mile garden.

Frank Gehry’s IAC building (left); condos (right)

Condos…..

… and more condos.

In addition to making the walk from uptown to downtown more pleasurable, the High Line hosts interactive public art installations, performances, open air film screenings and exhibits.

Art

The success of the High Line has been two-fold: it has not only drawn two million visitors annually, but it has also inspired another green space project dubbed the “Low Line.” The Low Line hopes to restore a former trolley terminal under Delancey Street (Lower East Side), into an underground park. Read more here: NYTimes.com

The High Line has rehabilitated and preserved an essential part of New York’s history. Influenced by its Parisian predecessor, the Promenade Plantée – an elevated park built around a similar rail viaduct and inaugurated in 1993 – Manhattan’s High Line has furthered interest for industrial restoration closer to home. Similar projects are in early stages in St. Louis, Philadelphia, Jersey City, and Chicago.